ruminative

English

Etymology

ruminate +‎ -ive

Adjective

ruminative (comparative more ruminative, superlative most ruminative)

  1. Causing rumination or prone to it; thoughtful.
    • 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald, chapter 5, in The Beautiful and Damned‎:
      They waited expectantly while he directed a ruminative yawn toward the white smiling moon.
    • 1864, Charles Dickens, chapter 12, in Our Mutual Friend‎:
      ‘It happened,’ returned the man, with a ruminative air, as he drew his right hand across his chin, and dipped the other in the pocket of his rough outer coat, ‘it happened somewhere about here as I reckon. I don’t think it can have been a mile from here.’
    • 1970, Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander:
      The ruminative 'cello uttered two phrases of its own and then began a dialogue with the viola.
    • 2010, Diane Ravitch, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, page 1:
      I found that the chore of reorganizing the artifacts of my professional life was pleasantly ruminative. It had a tonic effect, because it allowed me to reflect on the changes in my views over the years.

Synonyms
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